Machine for binding parcels



. 2,862,527 JULIETTE REBICHON NEE MEYRONNEINC Dec. 2, 1958 MACHINE FOR BINDING PARCELS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1953 2 Jon S & E i w mm mt 'INVENTflR J'uLiE TTE REB/cH N Dec. 2, 1958 2,862,527

J ULIETTE REBICHON NEE MEYRONNEINC MACHINE FOR BINDING PARCELS Filed June 30,1953

J'ULI'ETT'E REE/C HAN 2,862,527 JULIETTE REBICHON NEE MEYRONNEINC Dec. 2, 1958 MACHINE FOR BINDING PARCELS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 30, 1953 INVENTUR JI/LiETTE Bic/40M v 2,862,527 JULIETTE REBICHON NEE MEYRONNEINC Dec; 2, 1953 MACHINE FOR BINDING PARCELS Filed June 30, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 +1 IIR-F\MNR 1.4L wa F w s y $4 M i v 3 a m mw & b .2 E R M mm M A .0 m... .NR I

E T T E Y U5 J United States Patent The present invention has for its object a machine for binding parcels, of the kind comprising a handlever which controls on the one hand a device for tensioning the binding strip and on the other hand the upward and downward movement of the clamping unit which closes the seal upon said strip. This machine is essentially characterized in that it comprises a magazine adapted to r contain a large number of superimposed seals and a feeding device adapted to feed said seals one by one from said magazine to said clamping unit.

The clamping unit is advantageously formed with grooves adapted to receive the seal fed to said clamping unit by the feeding device.

When the device for tensioning the binding strip comprises a reciprocating member such as a rack to which a reciprocating movement is imparted by the hand lever, the feeding device comprises advantageously apush-rod which is actuated by said rack and which pushes a seal from the magazine to the clamping unit at each active stroke.

The machine according to the invention is advantageously provided with a locking member which is adapted to lock the push-rod in its retracted position, on its return from an active stroke, during the tensioning of the binding strip and the closing of the seal on said strip. I

Other features of the invention will appear in the following specification and in the appended drawings which represent by way of example an embodiment of the invention. v

Fig. l isa front view of the machine for binding pareels.

2 is a plan View of the machine. i

Fig. 3 is a partial section at a larger scale on' line III-.- 111 of Fig, 2, showing the tensioningdevice in operating position.

Fig. 4 isa section similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing. the tensioning device in its starting position.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the control lever of the machine in its starting position.

Fig. 6 is a section of the control lever on line VI-VI of Fig. 5, showing the parts associated with this lever.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the control lever of the machine in its starting position.

Fig. 8 is a sidev view, at a larger scale, of the rotative cam which actuates the clamping unit.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the rotative cam.

Fig. 10 shows the clamping unit and the parts which control and guide the same, viewed from the left side of Fig. 1, the clamping unit being in its position of rest.

Fig. 10a is a view similar to that of Fig. 10, but showing the clamping unit in section and lowered into its clamping position.

Fig. 11 is a view from below of the frame of the clamping unit.

Fig". 12 is a section on line XII--XII- of Fig. 11.

Fig 13 is a plan view of the complete clamping unit.

Fig. 14 is a front view of the rack.-

Fig. 15 isa plan view of the rack.

2,862,527 Patented Dec. 2, 1958 Fig. 16 is a plan view of the seal feeding device when the seal has been fed to its position in the clamping unit and the tensioning of the binding strip continues.

Fig. 17 shows the seal feeding device when the machine is in its position of rest.

Fig. 18 shows at a larger scale the locking member in the position it occupies when the machine is ready to start its operation.

Fig. 19 shows the position of the locking member when it locks the seal feeding device.

Fig. 20 represents schematically and at a larger scale several superimposed seals and the push-rod which is in position for pushing one seal forward.

Fig. 21 is a section on line XXIXXI of Fig. 1, showing the seal presser and its mounting.

The body of the machine has the shape of an inverted T and is formed by a vertical portion 1 and a bed-plate comprising at the front the portions la and 1b, and

at the rear the portion 10. The front portions 1a and 1b of the bed-plate are separated by a gap 4 allowing the passage of the clamping unit to be described later.

The vertical portion 1 of the body carries at the front tapped stays 2 on which is screwed a guide plate 3 which is parallel to the body portion 1. Above the gap 4, vertical guideways are machined in the body portion 1 and in the plate 3,- for guiding the frame 49, 50 of the clamping unit between said part 1 and plate 3.

At the rear,- the vertical body portion 1 carries two tapped stays 19 on which a rear plate 20 is screwed. Slidably mounted on the bed-plate portion 1c between the rearplate 20 and the body portion 1 is a tensioning rack 12 (Figs. 14 and 15) the stroke of which is limited by the two stays 19.

Across the body portion 1 and exactly above the gap 4 is rotatablymounted the driving shaft 36 the screwthreaded ends of which project through holes in the guide plate 3 and in the rear plate 20. On each of these screw-threaded ends is screwed a convex tapped cap 38 acting as a stop nut.

Between the body portion 1 and the rear plate 20 a control lever 21 (Figs. 5 to 7) is mounted for free rotation on the shaft 36. The body of the lever 21 is formed with two recesses. In the recess adjacent to the rear plate 20 is rotatably mounted a toothed wheel 27 meshing with the rack 12, and in the recess adjacent to the body portion 1 is rotatably mounted a cam driving member 28.

The lever 21 is formed on each side with a dovetail groove and in these grooves are slidably mounted two locking-bolts 29 and 31! connected for alternative displacements by a rocking member 31 pivotally mounted on a pin 32 which is screwed into the body of the lever 21. The end of the lever forms a knob 21a in which slides a button 33 connected by a rod 34 to the locking-bolt 30. A spring 35 mounted in the lever 21 tends to press the button 33 outwards, so that the bolt 30 is disengaged from the cam driving member 28 and the toothed wheel 27 is coupled with the lever 21 by the bolt 29 when the machine is in its starting position. On the contrary, when the button 33 is depressed so as to compress the spring 35, the bolt 30 is pushed downwards and couples the driving member 28 with the lever 21, while the rocking member 31 lifts the bolt 29 and disengages the same from the toothed wheel 27.

The driving shaft 36 is freely rotatable in the body portion 1 as well as in the plates 3 and 20, and the lever 21 and toothed wheel 27 are freely rotatable on the shaft 36. On the contrary, the cam driving member 28 and the closing cam 37 (to be described later') are fixedly mounted on non-circular portions of the shaft 36, so that said member 28 and cam 37 are rigidly locked with each other. a

The cam driving member 28 (Fig. 7) is of generally cylindrical outline so as to be rotatable in the recess of the lever 21 and is formed with a notch 28a adapted to be engaged by the movable bolt 30, so that the member 28 may be coupled with the lever 21. On one side of the notch 28a the-driving member 28 has a projection 28b adapted to abut against the body of the lever 21, so that the latter is enabled to return the driving member 28 to its starting position even when the bolt 30 is not engaged into the notch 28a, for a purpose to be described later.

The cam which controls the clamping unit is shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9 and is designated as a whole by the reference 37. This cam 37 is mounted on the driving shaft 36 between the body portion 1 and the guide plate 3 (see Fig. 2) and is rigidly locked with said shaft and with the driving member 28, as already stated above.

The peripheral profile of the cam 37 includes the following portions (see Fig. 8): A flat portion 40 near the opening 39 which receives the shaft 36; a portion 41 along which the radius with respect to shaft 36 increases rapidly; a portion 42 concentric with the shaft 36; and a final "boss 43.

The lateral profile of the cam 37 includes the following portions (see Fig. 9): A narrow portion 44 parallel to the flat portion 40; twosteeply diverging inclined planes 45; two gently diverging inclined planes 46; and two parallel lateral surfaces 47.

The clamping unit (Figs. to 13) comprises a frame formed by two parallel side plates 49 and 50 which are united by a central cross bar 51. This frame slides vertically between the body portion 1 and the guide plate 3, in the above mentioned vertical guideways. Two jaws 54 are pivotally mounted between the side plates 49 and 50, on axes 56. Upward extensions 54a of the jaws 54 project above the cross bar 51. The side plates 49, 50 are cut out so as to allow the passage of the rotative cam 37 the periphery of which acts upon'the top of the cross bar 51, while the lateral surfaces of said cam act upon the inner sides of the jaw extensions 54a, between which the cam 37 is engaged.

The lower part of the cross bar 51, which serves as an anvil when the seals 75 are clamped, has projections 52 opposite which the jaws 54 are notched, so that the seal '75 clamped between the cross bar 51 and the jaws 54 is deformed so as to ensure its grip on the binding strip.

The upper ends of the legs of the side plate 50 are provided with shoulders 5001 (Figs. 10 and 10a) adapted to be engaged from below by projections 48' on the cam 37 (Figs. 8, 9 and 10a) in order to raise the clamping unit during the return movement of the cam 37.

In the side plate 49 is embedded and secured a shearing blade 57 for cutting the unused portion of the binding strip. This blade 57 cooperates with a counter-blade 72 (Figs. 3 and 4).

The clamping unit operates as follows: In the position of rest, the clamping unit is in its upper position, the jaws 54 are opened (Fig. 10) and the flat portion 40 of the cam 37 is in engagement with the cross bar 51, the narrow portion 44 of the cam being engaged between the extensions 54a of the jaws 54. If the cam 37 is now rotated in the direction of the arrow F (Fig. 8), the peripheral portion 41 presses upon the cross bar 51 and pushes the whole clamping unit downwards. During this movement, the lateral inclined planes 45 of the'cam 37 enter between corresponding inclined planes 54b (Fig. 13) formed on the extensions 54a of the jaws 54, but the latter are not yet closed. If the cam 37 is rotated further in the direction of the arrow F, the steeply inclined planes 45 press the extensions 54a apart and consequently close the jaws 54 which fold the seal 75 around the binding strip and clamp this seal, in cooperation with the cross bar 51, under the effect of the less.

inclined planes 46 of the cam. Finally, the boss 43 imparts to the clamping unit a further descent due to which the blade 57 shears off the unused portion of the binding strip. If the cam 37 is now rotated in the opposite direction, the projections 48 of the cam 37 engage the shoulders 50a of the side plate 50 and thereby lift the whole clamping unit. During this upward movement, the extensions 54a are pushed inwards by inclined planes 55 (Fig. 10a) provided one on the front surface of the body portion 1 and the other on the rear surface of the guide plate 3, so that the jaws 54 are opened again.

The clampingunit may be removed through the gap 4 in the bed-plate after removing a stop screw 58 (Fig. 1).

The front end of the vertical body portion 1 forms a bracket 5 in which a holding grip or dog 6 is pivotally mounted on a pin 8. This holding grip 6 cooperates with the bed-plate portion 1a (Figs. 3 and 4). The holding grip 6 is formed with an aperture 6a allowing the passage of the upper run of the binding strip. The bracket 5 is provided with an intermediate bed-plate 5a with which cooperates another holding grip or dog 7 lodged in a gap of the first mentioned holding grip 6 and also pivotally mounted on the pin 8. 6 and 7 are pressed downwards by springs 9 mounted in the bracket 5 and held in place by screw-threaded stoppers 10. The grips 6 and 7 can be raised against the pressure of the springs 9 by small rods 11 which are slidably mounted in the bracket 5 and project outwardly beyond the latter. The length of projection of the rods 11 is such that when these rods are completely pushed back into the bracket, the grips 6 and 7 are lifted enough for allowing the easy passage of a binding strip under each of them.

The tensioning rack 12 (Figs. 14 and 15) carries at its front end a transverse portion or rack head 63 which comprises a bed-plate 63a the top and bottom surfaces of which are respectively level with the corresponding surfaces of the intermediate bed-plate 5a of the body (Figs. 3 and 4). Above the bed-plate 63a, a tensioning grip or dog 64 is pivotally mounted on a pin 65 in the rack head 63 and is pressed upon the bed-plate 63a by a spring 66 which is held in place by a screw 67. The pin 65 is located to the right of the serrated strip-engaging lower surface of the dog 64, as viewed on Fig. 3. Thus, when a binding strip is placed between said dog and the bed-plate 63a, leftward movement of the rack head 63 will cause the binding strip to be clamped firmly between said dog 64 and bed-plate 63a and to be drawn towards the left, whereas during the return stroke of the rack head 63 (to the right of Fig. 3) the dog 64 will compress the spring 66 slightly and slide on the binding strip which is prevented from moving back because it is also engaged under the dog 7, as will be described hereinafter. The grip 64 has a boss 64a protruding beyond its housing in the rack head, so that when the rack head 63 and the body bracket 5 make contact with each other (Fig. 4), the boss 64a is pushed in by the body bracket 5 and the grip 64 is lifted.

The grips 6, 7 and 64 cooperate for the tensioning of the binding strip which is drawn forwards by the grip 64 when the rack 12 advances (from right to left in the drawings) and is maintained by the grip 7 during the backward movement, while the grip 6 constantly immobilizes the other end of the binding strip.

In front of the vertical body portion 1 but behind the path of the clamping unit (that is to say to the right on Figs. 1 and 2) is secured a magazine 14 which is formed by a rectangular channel open at the front (Figs. 1, 2. and 21). This magazine is filled with a large number of super-imposed seals 75 (Figs. 1 and 20) which may be united to form a pack, for example as disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,746,601. In the magazine 14 is vertically movable a seal presser 59 provided at the front Both grips with a handle 59a protruding out of the open front of the magazine, in order to facilitate the withdrawal andthe insertion of the seal presser when the magazine 14 is to be filled with seals 75. The presser. 59 contains a spring 60 coiled around a pin 61 keyed in the presser. The outer end of the spring 60 descends along the rear wall of the magazine 14 and is secured to a small bar 62 fastened at the lower end of the magazine 14. The presser 59 is constantly urged downwards by the spring 60 but can be drawn out through the top of the magazine 14 in order to reload the same. i

The feeding device which feeds the seals one by one from the magazine 14 to the clamping unit will now be described.

A push-rod 16 adapted to push the seals 75 one by one from the magazine 14 to the clamping unit is slidably mounted in a groove of a guide plate 15 which is fixed on a heel 13 of the body portion 1 and on the bed-plate portion 1b. The base of the magazine 14 rests upon the end of the guide plate 15 the groove of which passes centrally under the magazine, so that the lowermost of the seals 75 contained in the magazine 14 is located exactly in front of the push-rod 16 which slides in said groove of the plate 15 (see Fig. 20). When the push-rod 16 is moved forward, that is' to say towards the left of Fig. 1, it pushes one seal 75 in front of itself and feeds it into the clamping unit. For receiving the seal 75, the side plates 49, 50 of said unit (Figs. to 12) are formed with grooves 53 matching exactly the edges 75a of the seal (see Fig. 20). The jaws 54 of the clamping unit are formed with similar grooves 53a which are exactly in line with the grooves 53 when the jaws 54 are open (Fig. 10), so that the seal 75 can slide by all its length into the grooves 53 and 53a and is thus held in correct position, without any risk of tilting.

The push-rod 16 is actuated by the following mechanism (Figs. 16 and 17): A small lever 23 is rotatably mounted by an axis 24 in a boss 22 of the rear bed-plate portion 10 and carries a journal 23a which engages a transversal groove 16a formed in the rear portion of the push-rod 16. A spring 25 tends to turn the lever 23 clockwise as viewed in Figs. 16 and 17. The lever 23 passes through a horizontal slot 68 formed in the rear part of the rack 12 (see also Fig. 14). A ball 69 housed in the rack limb overlying the slot 68 is acted upon by a spring 70 in such manner that the ball 69 tends to protrude into the slot 68. When the rack 12 moves, the ball 69 displaces the lever 23 in one or the other direction, but passes over the lever 23 by lifting the spring 70 when the pushrod 16 is arrested at the ends of its stroke. In order to facilitate the passage of the ball 69 over the lever 23, the edges of the latter are chamfered as shown at 23b.

On the plate is also mounted a locking pawl 18 which is angularly movable on an axis 17 and adapted to engage by its lug 18a a notch 16a formed in the push-rod 16 (Fig. 19) when the latter is at the rear end of its stroke. The locking pawl 18 thus arrests the push-rod 16 during the tensioning of the binding strip, as it will be described later. In order to lift the pawl 18 and thus liberate the push-rod 16 before the following parcel binding operation, the rack 12 has a horizontal arm 71 (Fig. 14) the end of which is formed with an inclined plane 71a which engages and depresses the rearward extension 18b of the pawl 18 when the rack 12 is at the rear end of its stroke, so that the pawl 18 is lifted and its-lug 18a is disengaged from the notch 16a of the push-rod 16 and liberates the latter as shown on Fig. 18.

The machine according to the invention operates as follows:

In the starting position of the machine, the lever 21 is completely pushed forward, as shown on Fig. 1, and the button 33 is free, so that the bolt 29 is engaged in the notch of the toothed wheel 27 which drives the rack 12, and the grips 6, 7 and 64 are lifted as shown on Fig. 4.

The end of the binding strip to be fastened around a parcel is inserted between the bed-plate portion la'and the intermediate bed-plate 5a, passed under the counterblade 72 and placed upon the bed-plate portion 1b at the right of the clamping unit. The portion to be tensioned of the binding strip is passed under the heel 13 of the machine body and under the guide plate 15, and is inserted under the grips 7 and 64 by passing said strip portion over the counter-blade 72 and through the aperture 6a of the grip 6, the counter-blade 72 being thus placed between the two portions of the binding strip. This operation is quick and easy, both portions of the binding strip being held with the left hand and the machine with the right hand.

The binding strip being thus placed, the hand lever 21 is moved backward in the direction of the arrow F' on Fig. 1, so that the toothed wheel 27 moves the rack 12 forward. As soon as a clearance is formed between the rack head 63 and the body of the machine, the three grips 6, 7 and 64 pushed by their springs take their active positions (Fig. 3), the grip 6 locking the lower portion of the "binding strip and the grip 64 pulling the upper portion of said strip so that the latter is tensioned; at the beginning of the tensioning, the rear portion of the rack pushes the lever 23 forward by means of the ball 69, so that the lever 23 drives the push-rod 16 forward. The push-rod 16 in its turn pushes a seal 75 out of the magazine 14 and feeds it to the sealing unit, where said seal is slid into the grooves 53 and 53a and is immobilized therein. When the seal 75 has thus been brought into position, the push-rod 16 can not advance further and locks the lever 23, but as the advance of the rack '12 continues under the action of the hand lever 21, the ball 69 lifts the spring 70 and passes over the lever 23 (see Fig. 16). If the tension of the binding strip is not yet sufficient, the hand lever 21 is moved forth and back several times, but without causing the grips 6, 7, 64 to be lifted off the binding strip by moving the lever 21 too far to the front. If during this operation the ball 69 pushes the lever 23 so far to the rear that the push-rod 16 reaches the rear end of its stroke, the pawl 18 descends and its lug 18a engages the notch 16a (Fig. 19), thus locking the push-rod 16.

When the binding strip is sufficiently tensioned, the lever 21 is pushed forward and the button 33 is depressed. As soon as the bolt 30 comes into register with the notch 28a of the driving member 28, the pressure exerted upon the button 33 pushes said bolt 30 into said notch 28a, so that the hand lever 21 is now coupled through the driving member 28 with the cam 37. At the same time, the rocking member 31 disengages the bolt 29 from the notch of the toothed wheel 27, so that the rack 12 is uncoupled from the hand lever 21.

When the hand lever 21 is now moved backward, in the direction of the arrow F of Fig. 1, the cam 37 is rotated in the same direction and actuates the clamping unit in the manner which has already been described above, so that the seal 75 is closed and clamped upon the two superimposed binding strip portions and the unused part of said strip is sheared off.

When this operation is finished, the button 33 is released and the lever 21 is again pushed completely to the front, whereby the rack 12 is moved to the rear end of its stroke and the grips 6, 7, 64 are lifted by'the rods 11 and the boss 64a.

During the backward stroke of the rack 12 towards its starting position, to the right on Fig. 1, the ball 69 rides back over the lever 23 (Fig. 17) and when the rack 12 reaches the rear end of its stroke the inclined plane 71a depresses the lug 18b and thus lifts the pawl 18 (Fig. 18), so that the push-rod 16 is set free for the next operation of the machine.

It will be apparent that the embodiment which has been described and shown is given only by way of example and that changes in the details of construction, in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed,

I claim:

A package binding tool comprising a frame for resting on the package to be bound, seal clamping means on said frame, a seal magazine on said frame adjacent said clamping means, tension means on said frame for engaging one end of a binding strip and drawing it taut around the package, automatically operable means on said frame for holding the strip taut with the ends of the strip 'in overlapping relation adjacent said clamping means, a plunger reciprocally mounted on said frame for feeding seals one at a time from said magazine to said clamping means, a bar reciprocally mounted on said frame for operating said tension means, means releasably connecting said plunger with said bar to actuate said plunger upon reciprocation of said bar to feed one seal to said clamping means and then release said plunger, a pawl pivotally mounted on said frame adjacent said plunger, said plunger having a notch for receiving said pawl when said plunger is moved to the end of its retracted stroke to lock said plunger in retracted position, cam means on said bar and engageable with said pawl when said bar is in its normal rest position to withdraw is) said pawl from said plunger, means on said frame for operating said clamping means, a single operating handle reciprocally mounted on said frame, and clutch means normally operatively connecting said handle with said bar and enabling reciprocation of said handle to reciprocate said bar to initially reciprocate said plunger to feed a seal and to repeatedly reciprocate said bar to tension a binding strip, said clutch means including a control member on said handle and selectively operable to disconnect'said bar and to connect said handle with said clamping means operating means, whereby said handle may be operated until the binding strip is taut and then said clutch means actuated to effect operation of said clamping means to seal the taut strip around the package.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED, STATES PATENTS 2,223,164 Childress Nov. 26, 1940 2,375,769 -Childress et al May 15, 1945 2,661,030 Crosby et a1. Dec. 1, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,969 Austria Oct. 26, 1931 France Mar. 15, 1939 

